


Home Cooked Meal

by aria_vitali



Series: Collections of History Unwritten [10]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:28:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21739120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aria_vitali/pseuds/aria_vitali
Relationships: Aymeric de Borel/Original Character(s), Aymeric de Borel/Warrior of Light
Series: Collections of History Unwritten [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1541752
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Home Cooked Meal

The moment that Stryder stepped into the Free Company house, he was assaulted by delectable scents that instantaneously caused his stomach to call out in desperation. With everyone constantly on the move, he wondered who it was that was giving his nose such a treat until he stepped into the kitchen. He found his younger sister with her hair tied up to a ponytail, an apron around her person and baking mitts covering her hands. She had yet to notice him amidst her opening of the oven and her humming.

When she had done so, Stryder smelled something familiar that called to his childhood memories. Back to when their father would spend hours in the kitchen during the cold winters and he and his sister would wait by the kitchen door restlessly. The thought of it made him smile and he leaned against the door frame to watch. Eventually, she had placed a tray of ginger cookies on the counter.

Seeming pleased by the result, Aria had bounced on her heel, clapping to herself. As she turned, she had startled to find her brother silently observing.

"Stry!" she exclaimed, a hand pressed against her chest in an attempt to still her beating heart.  
Stryder waved and stepped closer towards her. "I'm back, Ia."  
"I can see that," Aria pouted. 

When she saw her brother reaching out to grab one of the many treats, she cried out and slapped his hand away.

"Ow!" he bit out, bringing his hand close to his person in dejection. "Why not?!"  
" _First of all_ , they are extremely hot!" Aria chided. " _Secondly_ , this is dessert!"  
Stryder massaged his hand as he raised his brows. "Oh? You're cooking multiple dishes?"

As Aria nodded, the sound of bubbling can be heard from one of the pots on the stove top. She turned around to open the cover, to which she allowed her brother to peek in. Stryder was amazed to find that she had what was to be raptor stew almost complete. From the way he noted that there were still ingredients strewn about the kitchen, she was planning to cook even more.

"Is there an occasion?" Stryder asked with a head tilt.  
Aria shook her head. "Not really."  
"Then why go through such trouble, sister?"  
She smiled. "It has been a while since we have all eaten together, no?"

Stryder blinked and smiled, shaking his head slightly at how adorable he found the notion to be. With a sigh, he began rolling up his sleeves and washed his hands.

"How can I help?"

* * *

Aymeric was among the first to arrive, having received a linkpearl call from Aria inviting him and the others for dinner at the Phoenix Down house. The Lord Commander felt guilty for not spending as much time with her as he would have hoped. To make for such, he had spent the entire week ensuring that he was ahead of his paperwork to earn Lucia and Handeloup's favor so that he can go about his excursion.

Yet, he hadn't expected to find a _banquet_ lying in wait.

The dining room was filled with assorted plates. Some of it he recognized as Ishgardian - such as the Sohm Al tart and House Dzaemel's famous gratin - but others were completely foreign to him. Hearty meals and desserts scattered about the long mahogany table to create plates of colours forming a rainbow. It was enough to make his mouth water and he hadn't noticed how his stomach growled until just then.

"What smells _so good_?!" a voice shouted excitedly.

Aymeric turned and found Noire and Valeria entering the dining hall, pleasantly surprised by the sight before them. Though, the Viera seemed to make her emotions more explicit than her partner.

"Ah, Ser Aymeric," Valeria called and she offered a polite bow. "It seems you were also called."  
Aymeric smiled, bowing to her in turn. "Indeed. A pleasure to see you as always, Miss Valeria, Miss Noire."

Noire giggled and waved to the Elezen, more concerned with deciding which dish she wanted to try out first. As she was about to reach out and pick off a slice of almond bread, Stryder's voice boomed and bounced across the room.

"Hands off, Noire!" he exclaimed.

The company jumped and turned to find Stryder giving the Viera a chiding frown. At the sight of it, Noire bounced on her heel and jumped back towards Valeria, hiding behind her.

"I wasn't going to!" she lied.  
Stryder huffed. "As if!"

Valeria let her eyes wander and found that the elder Vitali had a bowl in his hands with what she assumed to be morel salad. As he placed in on the table, the Miqo'te woman tilted her head.

"Is there a party?" she asked.

Stryder turned towards her so he would be able to address her question, but the moment he attempted to, there was bustling in the direction of the front door.

"What's that smell?" they heard Tito ask.  
"I don't know, but it smells _really fucking good_ ," Zeke laughed in turn. 

In moments, the two that they heard, along with Dernar, Nayoh and Kitsua had stepped in to join them. As the couple had expressed their surprise, they also did. Even Dernar wasn't immune to how unexpected a sight he found.

"Black truffle risotto, spinach quiche, pastry fish," Nayoh observed, her eyes wide.   
"These must've taken forever to make," Kitsua added.

Tito spotted a side table with an assortment of drinks and he yelled excitedly when he determined what they were.

"Frozen spirits, yes!" he cheered.  
Dernar peered in his direction. "There is also loquat juice and Ishgardian tea."  
"I smell food!" another voice echoed in the hall.

The last ones to arrive, Kana'de and Diana, entered the dining room and mirrored everyone else's initial expressions. Though, rather than be completely taken by shock, they were excited right from the beginning; so much so that Diana's stomach grumbled almost immediately.

"Oh my gosh, so much food!" she exclaimed, her fingers contorting to make grabby hands in the table's direction. 

Then, pealing laughter could be heard as Aria had entered the dining room. Her hair remained tied up and her cheeks were flushed to a generous shade of pink. Still steaming, she carried a plate of rolanberry cheesecake in her hands, taking care to skirt around everyone so that she would be able to place it at the head of the table.

"You...made all of this?" Aymeric inquired, eyes wide.  
"Yep!" Aria chimed in singsong.  
"Bloody hells, woman, are you mad?" Zeke gaped.  
Aria laughed again. "Perhaps. I just felt like it. Besides, I had Stry to help me after a while."  
Stryder chuckled. "It seems we have gotten carried away, dear sister."  
"' _Carried away_ '? This is a feast in itself!" Kitsua answered.  
Aria shrugged. "It simply crossed my mind that we have all been so busy that we haven't the opportunity to spend some time together. So, I decided to appeal to the one activity that everyone would agree they enjoy doing."

In seconds, the company released a roaring cheer that had startled even the normally stoic Aymeric, before they had rushed towards Aria to have a chance at hugging the woman. Seeming taken aback by the sudden assault of bodies, the woman released a cry and fought to keep herself upright.

"H-Hey!" Aria exclaimed.

Asides from the native Ishgardian and her older brother, everyone erupted into a chorus of 'thank you' to the Warrior of Light, adding on other words of gratitude that got lost amidst them all talking over each other.

"Alright, alright, go ahead and start eating!" Aria answered, exasperated and unsure of what to make with all the thanks she was receiving.

When they had removed themselves from her, Aria sighed in relief, then stepped towards Aymeric. The man smiled, taking her hand in his to press his lips to the back of her hand.

"Full glad am I to see you well, Ia," he admitted with a shameless smile. "Though, I must admit it shames me to have not known you were a chef."  
Aria blushed a light shade of pink. "Everyone has their hobbies."  
"Though, this one has more than one," Stryder commented, patting his sister on the top of her head.

With a growl, Aria spun around to swipe at her brother. Her nails-turned-claws met with air as the Midlander had jumped back and sauntered off to grab his own plate. The woman stuck her tongue out towards him before turning back to Aymeric and wrapping her arms around his torso. Chuckling goodnaturedly, the noble wrapped his arm loosely around her shoulders.

"Are you certain there is not an event to celebrate, my love?" he asked. "I mean not to slight your work, but the effort put in is equal to a chef's effort when preparing an Ishgardian banquet."  
Aria smiled, letting her head rest against him. "Well, since it is you, I guess it is alright to tell you the secret."

Aymeric blinked and when she waved for him to lean in, he did so obediently. Her breath tickled his ear and he had to fight back the urge of retracting his body in a teasing flinch.

"I missed everyone, that is all," Aria whispered in his ear.

Aria leaned back and straightened her posture, smiling innocently to the man in turn. Aymeric smiled, then leaned down to press a soft kiss against her forehead. Soon after, she had separated herself from the man so they would be able to retrieve their own meals before the others scarfed it all down. 

Aymeric noticed the pleased way the others looked, which unconsciously heightened his expectation for what he was about to taste. He had taken his fork and cut into the portion of gratin he acquired, then proceeded with his tasting. His eyes widened.

_It's even **better** than House Dzaemel's_, Aymeric screamed in his head.

The Elezen's gaze wandered to Aria's figure, wondering just how in Fury's name she managed to acquire the recipe and perfect it even further by malms. Shaking his head, he decided not to think on it too hard, seeing as to how his lady love seemed to have enjoyed herself as she was rising up to the task of feeding all of them. Aymeric smiled then.

_Is there anything this woman could not do?_


End file.
